Necropolis of Castel d’Asso

The necropolis of Castel d’Asso is located about 10 Km from Viterbo. The town was formerly known as Axia and it has been quoted in Cicero’s oration Pro Caecina.

The necropolis of Castel d’Asso was rediscovered in 1817 and it is important because it was the first Etruscan necropolis that has been studied in the academic world.

Unlike other Etruscan necropolis, that of Castel d’Asso has a relatively limited extension, with a radius of a few hundred meters.

In this necropolis, the tombs are nut shaped and their characteristic is the depiction of a fake door, the door of the Hereafter, highlighted by a thick bead relief. (picture on the left)

Even today, despite the intense work of the volunteer association “Archeotuscia” there is a feeling of degradation (not to say abandonment) of the necropolis of Castel d’Asso.

After lunch, we went to the ancient village of Calcata, a town perched on cliffs of volcanic rock that seems suspended in the void over the deep ravines of the Treja Valley, covered with lush vegetation.

A place where the atmosphere is old and it seems to be back to the Middle Ages through narrow streets between dwellings and old cellars, now renovated and used as shops of antiques and art objects or in pretty and cosy restaurants where you can enjoy a homemade cuisine though very tasty.

We could taste the ‘stringozzi’ cacio and pepe, sausages and arrosticini with ‘uccelletto’ beans, grown in the Gradioli area. Unfortunately, at this point, our trip discovering Tuscia ended and we came back to Rome to take the train that brought us home.